Gone Glimmering was the debut album by New York City band, Chavez. It was released on Matador Records in 1995. Engineers/producers were Bob Weston, Bryce Goggin (3 tracks), and John Agnello. The disc combined an oblique indie rock aesthetic with gaudy "arena rock"-style guitar riffs. The music video for the song "Break Up Your Band" aired in an episode of MTV's Beavis and Butt-head, which was then MTV's #1-rated show. The video features the band performing on a (fictional) TV variety show; as the band plays at the side of the stage, a series of muscular male dancers perform striptease routines, featuring elaborate, fanciful costumes and props, at center stage.
In its review of Gone Glimmering, Entertainment Weekly (June 23, 1995, p.56) said, "This New York City outfit's weapons of choice are near-ethereal melody and edgy noise, which alternately enmesh and vie for prominence... Enveloping all this is a feverish, unremitting energy that keeps things exciting throughout." (Rating: B+) Upon the album's release, Chavez embarked upon a U.S. tour with Guided by Voices and Bardo Pond. "Pentagram Ring" was released on the 5-song Pentagram Ring EP later in 1995. "Nailed to the Blank Spot" is thought to be a critique of the straight-edge movement, whose members often refer to themselves as "nailed to the x," a reference to writing the letter X on their hands to signify abstinence from alcohol.
In 2006, Gone Glimmering was remastered and reissued in Chavez's career retrospective entitled Better Days Will Haunt You, on Matador Records.
Track listing
- "Nailed to the Blank Spot" (2:07)
- "Break Up Your Band" (2:56)
- "Laugh Track" (3:58)
- "The Ghost by the Sea" (4:01)
- "Pentagram Ring" (2:26)
- "Peeled Out Too Late" (3:36)
- "The Flaming Gong" (1:53)
- "Wakeman's Air" (4:23)
- "Relaxed Fit" (4:39)
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
